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Being A Superhero….

Superheros- You know, Batman, Spider man, Wonder Women, Robin, but what about you? Most bookkeepers will shake their heads and say no. Actually most people will say no they aren’t a superhero, but what if we were all a superhero to someone?

Why the rant about superheros? Because I just came back from the 2014 Sleeter Conference in Las Vegas, and the theme was Superheros. I was able to help Sage with social media while I was there and it gave me an incredible opportunity to talk to some amazing people about being superheros and see some real-life superheroes in action. Merrim-Webster defines a superhero as, “a fictional character who has amazing powers (such as the ability to fly)”. Well by definition no one at the conference fits the description because I am pretty sure no one could fly (I am disregarding anyone who after copious amounts of alcohol in Vegas might have thought they could fly). If we were to look at the definition again, “character who has amazing powers.” Still everyone would shake their head, but if we are able to change who is defining what is a superpower is, the answer might change.

The day-to-day workings of someone in the accounting profession at points does sheer heroics for our clients. As trusted advisors we are constantly battling government agencies, stopping them from over-spending, over/under hiring, over/under pricing, and help them at critical moments throughout their journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur, and doing it one step ahead of them. Yes, to our clients we are superheros. It wasn’t until I myself was going through the process of moving from hourly billing to value pricing that I truly discovered that what we do for our clients is at some points sheer heroics. Once you actually put pen to paper and see what we do for our clients, and that we don’t just do it for one client, we do it for MULTIPLE clients. It is awe-inspiring. We filled a 2’x2′ post it note full of weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly services we provide.

But if you are still shaking your head and going, “Jaime, I still don’t feel like hero. I don’t think am doing everything I am capable of for my clients.” Then maybe a slight change in what you provide might get you there by changing from bookkeeper to trusted advisor. Sometimes we are so bogged down with details that we forget to come up for air and notice areas our clients are struggling in. For one of my clients, simply moving him into Sage One Invoicing made me the cats’ meow because for the first time ever his taxes added up on his invoices, he doesn’t have to waste hours hand-writing invoices, and with the accountants portal I can print off my copies and he no longer has to deliver them. Sometimes, it is as simple as helping them understand their financial statements or help with establishing interior processes.

That is what made the Sleeter Conference amazing, I was able to see first hand a plethora of vendors that can help us help our clients. One of the most exciting ones, is Sage View. Sage View brings being a step ahead of our clients to a whole new ballgame. At a quick glance we are able to see ALL our clients whether they are Sage 50, Sage One or Quickbooks, and track client financial health and customize Key Performance Indicators. That is a superpower in itself.

If after all this you still don’t feel like a superhero, then most probably the only thing you are battling is your self-confidence, because trust me. You are someone’s superhero.